Wilson



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1.

M. H. WILSON.

AUTOGRPH'IO TELBGRAPH.

Patented Sept. 16, 1884.

iff/mfie@ Q90 www (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M. H. WILSON.

AUTOGRAPHIG TELEGRAPH.

Patented Sept. 16,1884.

NITED STATES ArnNr OFFICE.

M. HOFFMAN YILSON, OF BROOKLYN, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-TVENTIETHS TO HENRYMCCOBB, OF NEV YORK, N. Y. I

AUTOGRAPHIC TELEGRAPH.

.SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 305,259, datedSeptember 16, 1884.

Application filed November 2, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, MICHAEL HOFFMAN \VILsoN, of Brooklyn, in the countyof -Kings and State of New York, have invented a new 4 5 and usefulIniprovementin Autographie Tele which is externa-'l to the main circuit,is ar- 2O ranged to move between and in contact with the interruptedlends of the branch wires, and

thereby to close the circuit through said branch v wires and to themain-line wire successively.

According to my present inventionI em- 2 5 ploy branch wires which arecontinuous from end to end, and a cgmmutator adapted to make contactwith the ends of the branch wires succcssively, and arranged in the maincircuit, the main-line wire being connected with the 3o commutator-hubor its shaft. 1 In autegrapliic telegraphs of the hind described it isof great importance that the commutatore of the two or more instrumentsin the line rotate synchronously; and my invention further consists inanovel combination of parts in a unison apparatus, whereby the closingand breaking of the main circuit by the non-conducting or insulating inkon the form passing into and out of contact with 4o the terminals of thebranch wires will automatically and synchronously effect the startingand stopping of the commutators of all the instruments on thei line.Such unison apparatus is also applicable to the machine 4 5 shown in myaforesaid application.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical longitudinalsection of an instrument embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is an yendrelevation of such parts of the machine 5o as are necessary toillustrate the unison apparatus. v

Similar letters of reference dcsignatecorre spending parts in bothfigures.

A designates the basepiece or bed of the instrument, and B designatesthe table supported thereon by pillars A.

Below the table B are arranged the branch wires or conductors a, whichare placed side by side, as in my aforesaid application, and are securedto bars-b of insulating material. The terminals a of these branch wiresproject upward through an aperture, c, in the table B, and are arrangedin two rows across the table, the terminals in each row being oppositethe spaces between the terminals of the other row'. The branch wires orconductors (l, may be of any suitable character.

'Immediately over the aperture c in the table is arranged the cylinderD, which may be of copper, and is located in the electric circuit.

The form on which is delineated the writing or other matter to bereproduced may be of paper or other suitable material, and the writ ing`or other matter may be delineated in a non-conducting ink. 4

In the transmitting-instrument the paper ou which messages are writtenmay be in sheets, or in the form of a strip, E; but in thereceiving-instrument the reproduction may be ob- SO tained on acontinuous strip of paper, E,which may be wound upon a drum or reel, E',being drawn thereto over a guide-roller, El.

The cylinder D is rotated to transmit messages, and wheels or rollersmay be made to rotate by frictional contact with the -cylinder, as shownand described in my aforesaid application, so as to feedthe paper along.These wheels or rollers are not here shown, as they form no part of thisinvention. The form E being carried over the terminals a', the circuitfrom the cylinder to the branch wires a is broken repeatedly by thecharacters in nonconducting ink. The branch wires a diverge at the endof the tableB, and are secured at a proper distance apart in asemicireular or are-shaped support or frame, F,which should be ofinsulating material.

Gr designates a commutator mounted loosely upon a rotary shaft, G', butin electric comroo munication with said shaft. The commuwtator y carriesbrushes d, which make contact successively with the terminals fr ot' thebranch wires a, and to the shalt G is attached the line wire c. Thusitwill be seen that when a conducting part ol" the form E is in contactwith the terminals c and the commutator is rotated the circuit is closedfrom the cylinder D through the branch wires a, the commutator G, shaftG, and line-wire c. It will therefore be seen that in .my presentinstrument the commutator is in the main circuit, while in Amy formerapplication, above referred to, the branch wires were interrupted ordivided, and the commutator was rotated between the in terrupted endsot' the branch wires, so as to close the circuit through themsuccessively, and was not itseli` in the electric circuit.

The cylinder D and the commutator-shaft may be rotated by any suitablemechanism. As here shown, the connnutator-shatt G is connected by acoupling,f, to a longitudinal shaft, H, which is in line with it, andwhich is supported in bearings g.

The two parts of the coupling f are represented as separated byinsulation j", and the shaft G is mounted in a bearing, g, which isinsulated from the base-piece or bed A.

I designates a large bevel-wheel, and 71 a ybevel-pinion, which areformed integral or rigidly connected, and which rotate on a iiXed stud,h. The wheel I gears with a pinion, h2, on the shaft H, and the pinionZi gears into a large wheel, I', mounted on a shaft, h. The shaft Zrcarries a pinion, 7i", which gears into a large wheel, I`, on the shaftof the cylinder D.

The mechanism described, while transmitting a slow rotation to thecylinder D, will rotate the commutator-shaft very rapidly. The cylinderD and shaft II G are intended to be constantly rotated by clock-work orany other suitable motor. (Not here shown.) I will now describe theunison apparatus, which is best shown in Fig. 2, but also in Fig. l. Asbefore stated, the commutator G is loose upon its shaft G', although itis in electric communication therewith, and to the outer side of thecommutator is secured a disk, J, in the edge of which are two notches,t'.

K designates a collar iixed on the shaft,and connected with it aratchetwheel, L. The disk J and wheel L are represented as insulatedfrom the commutator G and collar K, rubber or other insulation, j, beingbetween them, and said disk and wheel, by said insulation, are out ofelectric 'communication with the shaft G.

To the disk J is pivoted a pawl, 71.', which, by a spring, lz, is heldin engagement with the ratchet-wheel L when not otherwise actuated.

In the line-wire c, which connects with the commutator-shat't G", is amagnet, L, which vis energized whenever the main circuit is closed it'the instrument is intended for work ing on a closed circuit.

At each instrument is a local circuit, Z,which includes a battery, Z,and a magnet, Z2, and one end of which is connected with acontact-piece, Z, while the other end is connected with the 'a-rmature,mi, which answers for thc local magnctZ'l. The lever M also carries atoe erprojcction, mi, for acting` 011 the pawl Zt, to disengage it fromthe ratchet-wheel L. XVhen the vaction ofthe local magnet Z2 ceases, thelever M is pulled down by a spring, fm'.

From the foregoing description itwill be understood that as long as thepawl k is held out of engagement with theV ratchet-wheel L the shaft H Gwill rotate independently of the commutator Y the commutator being heldagainst turning by the stop-pawl in engaging with one ot' the notches orstops Z in the disk J. This condition is maintained until the forni isintroduced between the rotary cylinder D and the terminals a, and thewriting, in insulating or non-conducting ink, comes into contact withsaid terminals. As soon as this occurs, the circuit through the mainline c and magnet L is broken, the armature-lever Z is released, and atonce moved by the spring away from the contact Z. The local circuit Zbeing thus broken, the spring in" draws down the lever M, thereby movingtlie'stop-pawl n1. away from the disk J and the teem away from the pawl7,:,whereupon the spring 7i throws the pawl 7.: into engagement with theratchet-wheel L, and through said `pawl the said wheel L rotates thedisk J and commutator G. As soon as the insulating or non-conducting inkon the form passes the terminals a, the circuit through the main line cand magnet L is closed, and the magnet L is energized and attracts thelcver Z, to cause it to make contact with Z, and thus close the localcircuit Z. By the currentthrough the local circuit the magnet is energized and attracts the lever M, thereby causing the toe m3 todisengage the pawl k from the ratchet-wheel L and bringing the stop-pawlon` into one of the notches Z on the disk J. The commutator is thusreleased from its operating mechanism and brought to rest, where itremains until the insulating-ink of the form again reaches the terminalsa. Thus it will be seen that the commutators of the instruments in themain line c are all brought to a common starting-point and aresimultaneously released when each line of writing' on the form comes incontact with the terminals a.

rIheinstruments are arranged and connected for operation as shown anddescribed in my aforesaid application, one instrument being-at each endot' the line, and each instrument serving both for receiving andtransmitting.

The ratchet-wheel L and the pawl and disk k J constitute aclutch-connection between the commutator and its shaft, and the lever M,with the stop-pawl n1., forms a stop mechanism operated by the closingof the local circuit.

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

IOO

IIO

l. l'n an autographic telegraph, the combiwith the terminals of saidbranch wires, substantially as herein described.

2. ln an autographic telegraph, the combination, with a number of branchwires having their terminals arranged in line across the path traversedby the form, of a semicircular or arc-shaped support provided withcontacts ai, forming the opposite ends of said branch wires, a rotaryconnnutator, a single line-wire in electric com munication with thecommutator, whereby the commutator in its rotation is made to close thecircuit between said linewire and said contacts in succession, and meansfor producing the travelof` the form incontact wit-h the terminals ofsaid branch wires, substantially as herein described. p

3. `The combination, with means for producing the travel of the form, ofa single lincwire and a number of branch wires having their terminalsarranged in the path traversed by the form, a commutator serving toclose the circuit through the line-wire and the branch wires insuccession, operating mechanism for the eommutator, a clutch-connectiebetween the commutator and its operating mechanism, and stopmeehanism,whereby the commutater will be arrested when released from itsoperating mechanism, substantially as and ior the purpose described. f

4. rlhc combination, with means for producing the travel ofthe form, ofasingle line-wire and a number of branch wires having their terminalsarranged in the path traversed by the form, a commutator arranged in theelectric circuit, and serving to close the circuit between saidline-wire and t-he branch wires in succession, operating mechanism forthe commutator, a clutch-connection between the commutator and itsoperating mechanism, and stop mechanism, whereby the commutator will bearrested when released from its operating mechanism, substantially asherein described.

5. The'eombination, with means for producing the travel of the form, ofa single line-wire and a number .of branch wires having their terminalsarranged in the path traversed by the fo rm, a rotary commutatorarranged in the electric circuit, and serving to close the circuitthrouglr the line-wire and the several branch wires in succession,arotary shaft and a clutchconneetion, whereby the eommutator is operatedby said shaft, stop mechanism for arrest` -ing the commutator when it isfreed from its operating-shaft', a local circuit containing a magnet.whereby the clutcl1-cennection and stop mechanism are controlled, and amagnet `in the main circuit controlling a circuit-break` er, whereby thelocal circuit is broken and closed, substantially as herein described.

M. HOFFMAN \VILSON.

'XVitnessem FRnDK.v HAYNEs, En. L. Mom N,

